I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried
by Hidge
Summary: AU two-shot. Jackson Avery had always been incredibly decisive, ever since he was a little boy, so he didn't surprise himself when he wanted April Kepner from the very first moment that he laid eyes on her. The part that he hadn't bargained on was that he would chase her for ten years. Please R&R!
1. Part 1

**A/N: So another AU one shot from me! This one was really fun to write but it is very different so be prepared. You can't say I didn't warn you. Lol.**

**The title of this fic is taken from the song "Maggie May". Give it a listen. Also, I have to admit that a line in this fic was inspired by Kelly and Brandon from Beverly Hills 90210 (I know, but it's a guilty pleasure). Points if you can spot it! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Grey's I would not be writing fan fiction. Lol.**

* * *

Jackson Avery changed into his baby blue scrubs with an excited grin on his face. This was the day that he had been dreaming about for years, since he had listened in awe to stories at his grandfather's dinner table as a young boy. It was the first day of his surgical internship at Seattle Grace Hospital. Seattle was his hometown and Seattle Grace was one of the best teaching hospitals in the country. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

All of the interns had just been given a tour of the hospital by Chief of Surgery Richard Webber and now they had a short break to change before they had to meet their assigned resident.

"Ugh," the tall, broad guy beside him groaned. "I got assigned to Karev."

"Me too," he smiled as he extended his hand. "Jackson Avery, nice to meet you."

"Charles Percy," the other guy answered as they shook hands. "I hear that Karev is a hard ass, as mean as a snake."

Jackson shrugged and smiled optimistically. "We can handle him."

Besides, Alex Karev was the rising star of orthopedic surgery and that's exactly where Jackson wanted his focus to be.

He clipped his new nametag onto the waistband of his pants, slipped a pen into his breast pocket, and slung his stethoscope around his neck before he left the locker room. He was fully rested and had an energy drink, a banana, and a granola bar in his locker. He was prepared and he knew what to do, and what not to do. Sleep when you can. Eat when you can. Don't mess with the pancreas. Don't make your resident look bad and don't doddle. He was from a family of surgeons, his mother even worked at this hospital, so he knew that his first shift would be gruelling and that people would judge him from the first mention of his name. He was nervous but he was incredibly excited, and hopeful.

He and four other interns, including Charles Percy and his friend from high school, Lexie Grey, gathered near the main nurses' station on the third floor and waited for Dr. Karev to acknowledge them.

The third year male resident was standing with his back to them. He appeared to be filling out a patient's chart. Karev was of average height, he had an athletic build, and dark brown hair.

It took the resident a while to notice the group of interns behind him, but when he finally did, he smiled at them rather maliciously. "So," he began thoughtfully as he sized each of them up, "you're my interns. I have five rules, they're simple, memorize them," he stated firmly. "Rule number one: don't bother sucking up. I already hate you and that's not gonna change." He glanced down at the station counter and told them, "Those are your pagers. Grab them. Nurses will page you and you will answer every page at a run. Don't walk, _run_," he emphasized.

Jackson couldn't help but grin to himself as Karev turned and started to walk away at a brisk pace. They all eagerly followed him after grabbing their pagers like they had been told. He knew that Karev acted like a tough guy, he was harsh on interns and those who were lower than him on the hospital's hierarchy, but he was actually kind of soft. He was good with patients, he respected his superiors, and he was in a committed relationship with a fellow resident.

"Your first shift starts now and lasts for forty-eight hours. You're interns. Grunts. Nobodies. Bottom of the surgical food chain. You do scut work, you run labs, you chart for your attendings, and you don't complain…_ever_."

They all stopped abruptly when Karev stopped and pushed open a door. "This is an on-call room. Attendings hog them so sleep where you can when you can. If I'm sleeping, don't wake me unless your patient is actually dying. Rule number four, your dying patient better not be dead when I get there. Are we clear? Any questions?"

Lexie raised her hand and spoke timidly, "You said there were five rules, and that was only four."

Karev placed his hands on his hips and smirked when his pager went off. "Rule number five: when I move, you move."

Karev pushed past them and headed towards the ER, and they followed him at a run.

And just like that, Jackson's first day as an intern was off to an exciting start.

* * *

After spending all morning in the pit, the new interns finally received a reprieve when they were told by Karev to go and grab some lunch. Karev's page had been for a car accident involving only a single car. To Jackson's disappointment, Karev was on a neuro rotation this week and so he had run off to the OR with Meredith Grey and had left his interns with the most boring and disgusting tasks.

As they ate lunch, Jackson and Charles watched Lexie closely as she shuffled through a pile of flashcards.

"What ya got there?" Charles asked curiously.

"Mini bios on all of the attendings that you want to impress at this hospital," she replied perkily.

Jackson grinned, "You did research. Impressive."

"Of course I did," she chirped. "I have as big of a target on my back as you do, and I don't have the luxury of knowing this hospital and its staff inside and out."

He nodded in understanding. She was Meredith Grey's little sister, great things would be expected of her as well, and all of the summers that he had elected to return to Seattle, she had stayed in Boston. He had spent summers working in the labs of this hospital and she hadn't. He already had a rapport with a lot of the staff. A lot of people already knew him, and liked him.

Charles leaned across the table with heightened interest. "So what can you tell me?"

"Well," Lexie began with a smile. "There's Cristina Yang, cardio attending. She has a Ph.D. from Berkeley and a M.D. from Stanford. She did her residency here and her fellowship at Mayo. She's the best anyone has seen in a very long time. If you screw up in front of her then you're done in cardio. George O'Malley is one of the top trauma attendings. He went to school at the University of Washington, did his residency here, and spent three years in the Army. Then there's April Kepner—"

"Ortho attending," Jackson interrupted. "She did her undergrad at Notre Dame and went to med school at Yale. She did her entire residency here and was Chief Resident, she's been published in practically every medical journal, and she has been instrumental in every program and policy change that the ortho department has introduced in the last five years. She likes old movies and Italian food."

Charles' eyes widened. "Whoa, someone has a stalker."

Jackson simply chuckled good-naturedly as he returned to eating his sandwich and fries.

"To say that Jackson has a crush would be an understatement," Lexie explained awkwardly.

Jackson eyed his brunette friend sympathetically. He and Lexie had dated while they had both attended Harvard but his feelings for April had created a sizable wall between them and had ultimately led to their break-up. He felt bad for the way that things had ended between them but luckily they were still friends…and the way that he felt about April was cemented, it would have been unfair to lead Lexie on.

He had always been incredibly decisive, ever since he was a little boy, so he didn't surprise himself when he wanted April Kepner from the very first moment that he laid eyes on her. The part that he hadn't bargained on was that he would chase her for ten years. He was still chasing her. She was the main reason that he had chosen Seattle Grace for his internship. He had received offers from Mass Gen, Hopkins, Tulane, and a few other great hospitals, but he _needed_ to work at Seattle Grace.

The first time that he saw her was ten years ago, he had been fifteen, and it was one of his most vivid memories.

* * *

"_Jackson! Wash up for dinner and come down!" Catherine Avery called from down the stairs._

_The teenager rolled his eyes as he tossed his PlayStation controller aside and got up off of his bed. He was not looking forward to this dinner. His mother did this every year. Every year she picked one surgical intern to take under her wing and she started the process by inviting them over for dinner._

_Jackson loved talking about medicine, he planned to be a surgeon himself, but he was not in the mood to listen to another wannabe spend an evening kissing his mother's ass. He would much rather stay in his room or go out with his friends._

_He washed his hands before he galloped down over the stairs and walked into the kitchen. A petite red-head was standing next to his mother with her back to him and he assumed that she was this year's chosen one._

"_Oh, baby, there you are," Catherine gushed. "April, this is my son, Jackson."_

_The red-head turned around to face him and Jackson did his best to keep his composure. He was good with girls, he never got nervous around girls, but she was a _woman_, and she was the most gorgeous woman that he had ever seen. Her eyes. Her lips. Her hair. Her skin. Her body. Everything about her was perfect._

"_Hi!" She smiled at him brightly and he could have sworn that his stomach did a little flip flop. "I'm April Kepner, it's nice to meet you," she stated as she extended her hand._

_He gulped as he gently shook her hand, which was freakishly soft. "Nice to meet you too," he replied as steadily as his voice would allow._

* * *

Jackson was pulled out of his memory when the door to the cafeteria opened and a group of laughing attendings entered the room. He sat up a little straighter in his seat when he recognized them. It was Yang, Grey, O'Malley, and April. They grabbed their lunches and sat at a table on the other side of the cafeteria.

He hadn't seen her in far too long but she still looked _so_ good, and she seemed happy. He stared at her until she finally sensed his gaze on her and looked up. He shot her a small, playful smile and she instantly looked away.

"Oh my God," April muttered in horror as she focused on the salad in front of her. "You guys told me he was going to Mass Gen!"

"Yeah, we kinda, um, lied," George confessed bashfully.

"Why?" She practically squealed.

"Mostly to see this reaction," Cristina snickered. The cardio attending spun around in her chair and made it obvious that she was checking out the new crop of interns. "He is a pretty boy…and an Avery."

April groaned as she ran a hand through her long hair. She loved the first day of a contract year. July 1st was her favourite day of the year next to Christmas and she always loved meeting new interns. Their enthusiasm, optimism, and passion for medicine always reminded her why she loved being a surgeon and it made her strive to be better. And today had been just like any other July 1st until a few seconds ago. Everyone had told her that Jackson Avery had chosen to do his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and she had been happy about that fact. Mass Gen was a phenomenal hospital, she was happy that he was succeeding, and she honestly didn't need the distraction.

_He_ was a distraction, and now he was working at her hospital.

"What was he like in bed?" Cristina asked nosily. She had been at Mayo the summer that April had had her fling so she had missed out on all the juicy details.

"Cristina!" April scolded.

Cristina shrugged unapologetically and turned towards her best friend. "I remember her using the words unbelievable, incredible, amazing, and a whole other string of impressive adjectives," Meredith supplied.

"Thanks a lot, Mer," April mumbled in annoyance.

"I don't see what the problem is," George butted in. "You like him and you're not seeing anyone, he worships the ground you walk on, just be together."

April firmly shook her head. "No, no way, it was a mistake the first time. I'm not going there again."

She remembered that summer all too clearly. He had gotten a job as a lab assistant working on her and Callie's cartilage project and they had developed a nice, easygoing friendship. She had thought that it would stay that way but to her surprise, he had had other ideas.

* * *

"_How's it going?" April asked perkily as she practically bounced into the lab._

_Jackson looked up at her with a smile. "Good. I'm such a vital part of this project," he joked._

_She giggled as she sat down on the lab stool next to his and looked down into the rows of test tubes. "We'll get something before the summer is over. I have a really good feeling about this."_

"_Okay, I'll trust you."_

_She paused for a second, and watched him make notes on the pad of paper in front of him, before she playfully nudged his arm. "Are you sure that you want to spend your whole summer hoping to make cartilage? Shouldn't you be hanging out with your girlfriend or something?"_

"_I don't have a girlfriend," he murmured rather shyly._

"_You don't have a girlfriend?" She questioned incredulously. "There is something wrong with this world if you don't have a girlfriend."_

_He laughed softly as blush spread across his cheeks. "What about you? Are you still dating that paramedic?"_

_She shook her head as she turned away from his gaze. "No, Matthew and I broke up."_

"_Why?" And she could hear the probing curiosity in his voice. _

_She shrugged. "We just weren't on the same page, I guess. He was ready to settle down and I'm just not there yet. Someday, but right now I just want to have some fun."_

_She hadn't had a fun fling in a very long time, and that's what she wanted right now. She needed to let off a little steam. _

"_Yeah," he replied understandingly. He cleared his throat before he said, "Well the truth is that I'm into this girl but I'm afraid to tell her."_

"_Why?" She chuckled. Jackson Avery was every young girl's dream guy. She couldn't imagine any girl saying no to him. He was handsome, smart, funny, and genuinely nice. Guys like him didn't come around very often._

"_We're friends, and she's out of my league, and," he paused to exhale heavily. "I'm afraid of rejection I suppose."_

"_Don't be," she told him surely. "Confidence and determination are very attractive."_

_He swivelled on his stool until his body faced hers. "Okay." He flashed her a charming smile before he asked, "Do you want to come over to my place tonight? I can make you dinner."_

_April repetitively opened and closed her mouth. She knew that she probably looked like she was doing a poor fish imitation but she couldn't find the appropriate words. She knew that Catherine was away at a conference and that he was home alone…and was he…was he asking her out? Was she the girl that he had just been talking about?_

"_J-Jackson," she stuttered. "Are you…? Am I…?" Before she could sound even more inarticulate, her pager went off. She looked down at the device and sighed. "That's the ER. I gotta go."_

"_Seven?" He called out excitedly._

"_Uh…yeah…sure," she mumbled before she fled the room._

"_Nice of you to join us April!" George joked as the red-head came into his view. "I need you to reduce a set of hips for me. We're heading to OR 2."_

_April followed George down to the OR floor. They stood beside each other at the sink and scrubbed their hands and arms while April was unable to think about anything besides Jackson._

"_Okay, what's going on with you?" Her friend asked nosily._

_April sighed and dried off before she turned to George. "I think that Jackson just asked me out."_

"_So? He's hot, the two ts kinda hot."_

_April rolled her eyes. "That's totally not the point."_

"_Then what is the point?"_

"_The point is that he's too young, he's practically jailbait, and he's Catherine Avery's son!" She cried in frustration. "I can't just go and corrupt my mentor's son!"_

_George chuckled, "April, with the way that he looks at you, he's just longing to be corrupted."_

_Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

"_Come on, April," he laughed. "He checks you out all the time, and has ever since he's known you. He's infatuated with your boobs."_

_April stared thoughtfully ahead, through the glass window, as nurses and residents prepped their patient. Was George right? Did Jackson Avery have a little crush on her? He did pay an unusual amount of attention to her. He hung on her every word. She had caught him checking her out before but she had just attributed it to overactive hormones._

"_Besides," George added mischievously, "he's at his sexual peak and he's eager. Think of the enthusiasm. Think of the stamina."_

_April gasped and stared at him affronted. "George O'Malley!"_

"_You need a good roll in the hay, April," the trauma surgeon grinned. "And Jackson Avery is perfect. Now, let's go operate…cougar."_

_She glared at him as she followed him into the OR. "I'd hit you so hard right now if I wasn't sterile."_

* * *

_April kept telling herself that she was only going to Jackson's house to make it clear to him that this was not a date but despite her intentions, she knew that she was playing with fire. George had planted very naughty thoughts in her head and she couldn't seem to get rid of them. Jackson was young and beautiful. His eyes and his smile were practically weapons, and his torso alone was swoon worthy. She frequently found herself with an overwhelming desire to put her hands on his pecs. _

_She took a deep breath before she knocked on the door. He pulled open the door with a pleasant smile and she immediately noticed his appearance. He was wearing black slacks and a crisp, blue shirt that brought out his eyes. He had dressed up for her. He had even shaved for her, and to her horror, her first thought was that she thought he looked sexier with a little scruff._

"_Hi, come in!" She stepped inside and he gentlemanly helped her out of her coat. "You look beautiful. Do you want something to drink?"_

_There was nothing special about her appearance tonight and he still told her that she looked beautiful. She was wearing dark jeans and a burgundy blouse, the clothes that she had worn to work this morning, and she hadn't even fixed her hair. _

_She was in so much trouble. _

"_A glass of wine would be nice," she sighed. She paused for a moment before she added, "Are you even legal yet?"_

_He chuckled as he led her into the kitchen. "I can drink in my own house, April."_

"_So I'll take that as a no," she muttered to herself. She remembered that she had attended his eighteenth birthday party so that would make him…twenty going on twenty-one now. But he was just out of his teenage years, and she was ten years older than him. "Jackson," she began with determination. "I just want to make it clear that this is not a date, okay? We're just two friends sharing a meal."_

"_Okay." He answered her with a rather mischievous grin and she had a feeling that he didn't truly share her opinion._

_He poured her a glass of wine and grabbed a beer for himself before he returned to the stove._

"_Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked considerately._

"_Nope," he responded with a smile._

_She was impressed that he could cook, like really cook; he was making something from scratch. It was attractive. She quickly took a sip from her wine glass and hoped that it would erase her inappropriate thoughts about him. He was a _boy_, and not just any boy, he was Catherine Avery's little boy. She couldn't be having those kind of thoughts about Catherine Avery's son._

_They ate a wonderful meal and they had amazing conversation. They had a lot in common and he was everything that she had known him to be: funny, charming, and polite. He was such a catch, if only he was ten years older, or she was ten years younger._

_She knew that she needed to get out of there but she still offered to help him with the dishes. He washed and she dried._

"_Done," April announced happily as she dried the last dish and placed it in the cupboard._

_He didn't respond and she could feel his presence behind her. She sucked in a breath when he brushed her hair to the side and placed a kiss on her neck. She whispered his name when he repeated the action and placed both of his large hands on her hips. She knew that it was wrong but she could practically feel the want radiating off of his body. She knew that he was horny, he was twenty for God's sake, but he wanted _her_, it was just as much about her as it was about sex. He could have any girl his age that he wanted, and he wanted her. That was a very powerful feeling and one that she found herself unwilling to ignore any longer._

_Without another thought, she spun around and placed her mouth against his. His kiss was nice, good pressure, not too much tongue, he was a little eager but he knew what he was doing. And he was definitely trainable._

_They quickly found themselves on the living room couch and he pulled her into his lap. His hands immediately went to her breasts and she noticed that he was already very aroused beneath her. He began to push her down onto her back, and she let him. She settled into the cushions of the sofa and wrapped her legs around his waist as they continued to kiss passionately. _

_A shrill noise interrupted them and she reluctantly pulled her mouth away from his. His pretty eyes were glazed over and his lips were swollen. She snuck her hand in between them and into the pocket of her jeans. She looked at her pager and groaned._

"_I'm sorry, I gotta go."_

"_Will you come back?" He asked in a hopeful whisper as he stared down at her adoringly._

_She couldn't help but smile at him. He was so sweet and _so_ into her. The way that he was looking at her, no man had ever looked at her like that, not even Matthew. She placed both of her hands on his face and leaned up to softly kiss him. "Yes, I will be back. I promise." _

* * *

_April walked towards her car after a very long shift. She was supposed to go home several hours ago but she had been pulled into emergency surgery. She slowly approached her car and smiled when she spotted a figure sitting on her hood._

"_Hey," Jackson greeted softly._

"_Hi," she smiled. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a burgundy, hooded sweater with his university logo emblazoned across the chest. He was dressed simply, but he still looked delicious. "What are you doing here? Today is your day off."_

"_I couldn't stop thinking about last night so I had to come see you," he told her honestly._

_She stepped up to him as she fought a smile. "It has crossed my mind a time or two since I left your house," she stated quietly. "And I've been really busy; I haven't been avoiding you or anything."_

"_Good," he smiled broadly. "Wanna go for a drive?"_

_She nodded as she bit down on her bottom lip. "Yeah."_

_He hopped off of her hood and walked towards his own car which was parked nearby. He opened the passenger door for her with a contagious grin._

_They drove to his old high school and parked behind the gymnasium. It was dark and secluded, and nobody that they knew would find them there._

_They climbed into the backseat of his car and although he was way too tall to be comfortable in the small space, she certainly didn't hear any complaints. He laid her on the backseat and climbed on top of her. _

_April had forgotten how obsessed young guys were with boobs, but Jackson couldn't seem to tear his lips or his hands away from her breasts. She giggled as she placed both of her hands on his face and pulled his mouth up to hers. "You have a one-track mind?" She asked teasingly._

_He chuckled as he hitched one of her legs over his hip. "Yeah, a little," he admitted unabashedly. "You have an amazing body. You're so hot."_

"_Thanks," she laughed. She tugged his Harvard hoodie upwards and he quickly discarded it. A part of her believed that he had worn that sweater just to annoy her. He knew that she had gone to Yale. "You're not too bad yourself," she whispered. _

_She slowly ran her hands down his chest and dipped her fingers into the front of his jeans. His pecs, abs, shoulders, arms…his entire body was built and hard. College football was doing wonders for him. Also, his torso was completely smooth except for the thin line of hair that began at his navel and disappeared into his pants. That stupid smattering of hair was such a turn on. She continued to explore his torso and he gasped at her touch. She knew that she was teasing him but she couldn't help it. His reactions were adorable. _

_He roughly captured her bottom lip between his and thrust his hips against hers. She moaned and dug her short fingernails into his shoulder blades. He unbuttoned the rest of her blouse but she stopped him before he pushed the material off of her shoulders. If they were going to do this then they needed to talk. She needed to set down some general rules and regulations._

"_Hold on a second," she whispered._

"_What is it?" He asked as he kissed along her collarbone. _

"_You're not a virgin, are you?" She blurted out._

_He shook his head and laughed softly against the base of her neck. "No, I'm not. I've been with a few girls, one in high school, a couple in Boston, but I've been hung up on you for years."_

_She couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Your honesty is refreshing, Jackson."_

_He raised his head and stared down at her nervously. His eyes roved over her before he spoke. "What if I said that I want you right now? I know that it's not the best location but I don't think I can help myself."_

"_I would ask you if you had a condom," she grinned. He growled before kissing her again. "But," she said against his mouth, "I want to make something clear."_

"_What?" He inquired distractedly as he pulled down the zipper of her jeans._

"_We're just friends having fun," she stated. "I wanna spend time with you but no one can know about us, okay? I'm older than you and I; uh…I don't think your mother would be too happy about this."_

_He nodded while placing a kiss in her cleavage. "Whatever you want," he agreed easily. _

_And he kissed her softly before he rid her of the rest of her clothes. _

* * *

"Reminiscing?" Cristina teased as she tossed a balled up napkin at April.

April shook herself out of her stupor and slowly stood up. "I need to go cut someone," she muttered. She grabbed her half-eaten lunch and dumped it in the garbage before bolting out of the cafeteria.

She hadn't even noticed that the group of interns that contained Jackson Avery had left the cafeteria until she came across them in the hallway with Alex. She supposed she hadn't noticed because she had been doing exactly what Cristina had accused her of doing, she had been remembering her time with Jackson. She had been remembering her time with Jackson _very fondly_.

"Hey Dr. K," Alex Karev greeted her.

"Hey Alex," she smiled. "You're on Meredith's service this week, right?" She asked as she ignored the curious interns.

He nodded. "I am. You have anything interesting scheduled for today?"

"I have a meniscus repair," she replied. She could feel Jackson's eyes on her but she wasn't giving in this time. "I have to go." She started to walk down the hallway and as she did, she looked over her shoulder at the new interns. "Welcome to Seattle Grace," she told them with a pleasant smile.

Charles elbowed Jackson in the side once the red-head was out of sight. "She is so hot."

"Yeah, she is," Jackson whispered in agreement as a small grin graced his face.

"Fantasize on your own time, Percy," Karev barked. "Go pick up some labs for me."

Jackson quietly snickered to himself as the burly intern cowered under Karev's orders. He quickly straightened his face when his resident turned to him. "Avery, why don't you go and get me a coffee? Black, two sugars."

Jackson scowled but did as he was told. He headed towards the coffee cart in the hospital that he knew made the freshest coffee. He would much rather practice medicine than fetch coffee but at least he could grab a cup for himself. He still had forty hours left until his shift was over.

His mood brightened considerably when he spotted April ordering a coffee. He sidled up to her and passed the lady behind the cart a few bills. "It's on me," he told her.

She glanced up at him and her eyes widened slightly. "Oh, hey Jackson, you don't have to."

"I want to," he smiled softly.

"How are you?" She asked awkwardly. She could already feel the tension between them and they had only been around each other for thirty seconds. And she couldn't deny that he looked incredible. He had always been tall, handsome, and toned, but now he actually looked grown up. He was more filled out, and his facial hair and shaved head were very sexy, and light blue scrubs looked great on him.

"I'm good, how are you? You look great."

"Thanks," she replied sheepishly. He stared at her without saying another word and she blushed under his gaze. "I really have to get going. I'm busy doing…uh, attending things. Have a great first shift!" She called as she started to walk backwards and away from him.

Jackson frowned to himself as he watched her walk away. She always seemed to be leaving him and it was not something that he enjoyed.

He turned back to the coffee chart and ordered Karev's coffee so he missed the fact that April looked longing at him over her shoulder.

He had always been hard to leave and today was no exception.

* * *

"_God, you are so incredible," Jackson panted._

_April smiled at him as she gathered her clothes from the end of the bed. She pulled on her bra and panties before she walked around to the other side of the bed to give him a soft kiss. "You're pretty incredible too."_

_This had been their routine for over two months now. They would meet in this hotel room or he would pick her up at the hospital and they would drive somewhere and park. They never went to her apartment. That was far too personal and intimate. What they were doing was very illicit, and secret, and immature. But the sex was off the charts, by far the best that she had ever had, and he was so sweet. He made her feel good and she loved spending time with him and yet a part of her was relieved that he was leaving to go back to school next week. It was time for her to start acting her age again. He was wonderful but she was ready to grow up now. She hadn't been ready for it when she had been with Matthew but she wanted a husband and a family now._

_He smiled lazily before moving both of his hands to rest behind his head. "So I've been thinking about staying in Boston for Thanksgiving this year," he began hesitantly as he slowly sat up. "And maybe you could come visit?"_

_She stilled right in the middle of pulling up her jeans. She regrouped and finished the task at hand and pulled up her zipper and clasped the button before turning to him. "Jackson, I thought that we were very clear about what this was."_

"_Yeah, I know," he replied as he glanced down at the rumpled bed sheets. "I just thought that maybe…we could…ya know…keep going…It still wouldn't have to be serious…just…" He trailed off and exhaled heavily._

_The sad, puppy dog look on his face almost killed her. This was the part that she had been dreading because she didn't want to hurt him. He had talked himself into thinking that he liked her, like _really_ liked her. But really he liked her breasts, and her mouth, and the rest of her body. All of the sex was clearly fogging his brain and she should have anticipated this happening. She was letting him do things that he had never experienced before, and that girls in their early twenties didn't do. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but he was young and resilient, he would bounce back quickly. _

_She crawled up the bed and surprised him with a passionate kiss. "You are amazing," she told him sincerely. "You're smart and funny and sweet and beautiful. And you're incredible in bed," she added to stroke his ego. "And you're going to please thousands of women and break thousands of hearts so I feel lucky that I got to spend a summer with you." She gave him another firm kiss. "You're a catch Jackson Avery, and don't ever forget it!"_

_He chuckled to himself but avoided her gaze. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her. She laughed softly as she gently touched his mouth with her fingers. "Smile," she encouraged. "You're not heading back to Boston yet."_

_It took him a minute but he eventually smiled down at her before joining his mouth to hers. _

* * *

Once again, April shook herself out of a memory and continued walking down the hallway. Her eyes widened in fear as she watched Catherine Avery stride towards her. Now was not a good time for her to talk to her mentor. She owed a lot of her success in the early years of her residency to the urologist but the woman had no idea that her former protégé had spent a summer sneaking around with her son.

"April, honey!" The older woman greeted her happily. She pulled her into a hug before she asked, "Have you seen Jackson yet? He's so excited to start his internship."

"Yeah," she replied with a forced smile. "I just ran into him actually. He doesn't seem too overwhelmed, which is good."

"Of course he's not overwhelmed," Catherine chuckled. "He's an Avery. Averys are poised and they always get what they want."

April gulped and couldn't help but hope that Catherine was wrong because she was very sure that what Jackson wanted was her.

"Well sweetie, I'll talk to you later. I have a consult to get to."

"Bye Dr. Avery," April replied timidly before the woman began to walk away.

She felt guilt wash over her and she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath.

"What are you doing Kepner?" April jumped as Callie's voice startled her from behind. The older ortho attending laughed rambunctiously. "Sorry I scared you but you seemed a little off in your own world."

"My head is a mess," she admitted. She brought her hands up to her head to rub her temples as she continued her breathing exercises. She squeezed her eyes shut before she reopened them and guiltily peered up at Callie. The beautiful Latina had taken her under her wing when she had decided to specialize in ortho. They had a friendship as well as a mentorship and April knew that she could trust her. "He's here," she simply stated.

Callie raised an eyebrow before she realized what April was talking about. "Jackson?"

April nodded slowly. "Yeah, he's not at Mass Gen, he's doing his internship here."

"Oh, I can see why that would be a problem for you." Callie spoke seriously but it wasn't long before she dissolved into laughter. "He's like dessert, and I say: eat until you puke."

April's facial expression morphed into one of disgust. "I don't think that's a very good metaphor."

Callie chuckled, "I think it's perfect." She elbowed the red-head in the side as she grinned mischievously. "Indulge a little."

April groaned in frustration and ran her hands through her hair. All of her friends were giving her terrible advice and she needed some peace and quiet to think things through for herself. She found the nearest empty on-call room and slipped inside to take a nap.

She tried to empty her mind of all Jackson Avery related thoughts but it was a challenge. That man-boy had had a much bigger impact on her than she had anticipated when she had first gotten involved with him. He had stuck with her. She thought about him all the time, practically every day. She thought about him when the guys she dated didn't measure up. He was twenty-five, and an intern, and she had already had five years to forget about him and she hadn't been able to.

* * *

"So," Charles began with a broad grin as he and Jackson patiently waited for lab results. "You and Kepner were a thing?"

"She's a friend and she's a beautiful woman," was all he offered.

Charles chuckled in disbelief and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back on the wall. "You should have gone into politics, Avery." The guy beside him simply grinned smugly and didn't offer a response. Charles looked at his watch and groaned. "I don't know whether I'm glad or annoyed that these labs are taking forever."

"I know," Jackson agreed. "We still have twenty-eight hours left."

"This shift is hell," Charles groaned.

"It's not that bad," Lexie chimed in as she approached them. "Besides, you need to keep your energy and enthusiasm up; the attendings will be picking the first solo surgery in the intern class later today."

Charles' eyes widened and he let out another groan. "Are you serious?"

Jackson nodded. "Yup, it's a Seattle Grace tradition."

One of the lab techs stepped up to the window and eyed Charles. "Got your results here, Percy."

Charles grabbed the results and then rushed away without another word.

"What got into him?" Lexie questioned in confusion.

"I don't know," Jackson chuckled, "but he seems like a good guy."

After a pause Lexie stated, "You know neither of us is going to get the first surgery because of our last names."

Jackson shrugged. "I think that I'm okay with that."

"Of course," Lexie murmured with a roll of her eyes.

Jackson observed his friend's seemingly annoyed posture. "What are you thinking, Lex?"

"Just that you seem more interested in April than you are in becoming a surgeon," she accused angrily.

"Lexie," he sighed. He knew that she thought that he was a tad pathetic but she really didn't understand his relationship with April. It was complicated, but special and unique.

She spoke again before he could say anything else. "She really hurt you, or don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember," he snapped.

He wasn't ignoring all of the bad things that had happened between him. He remembered when he had returned to Seattle the Christmas following their summer relationship.

* * *

_Jackson waited in a conference room and nervously thrummed his fingers against the tabletop. He had gotten George O'Malley to page her so he hoped that she would show up. He just wanted to see her and say hi. He missed her._

_He smiled widely when the door opened and she stepped inside the room. "Hey."_

"_Hi," she smiled as she closed the door behind her._

_He grinned and bit down on his bottom lip when she locked the door behind her. He had already taken the liberty of closing the blinds._

"_How was your term?" She asked._

"_It was great. We crushed Yale this season," he grinned. "And I got my MCAT results back."_

"_How did you do?" She inquired as she took a step forward._

"_Aced 'em," he grinned proudly. He looked her up and down wantonly before reaching forward and grabbing her hips so that he could pull her down into his lap. She placed her hands on the arms of the chair and comfortably straddled him. "You look so good," he whispered huskily. He still had a difficult time wrapping his mind around how navy blue scrubs could look so sexy._

_She ran her hands up his arms before slipping them around his neck. "You look good too, but why are you here? Why did you have me paged?"_

_He slipped his hands underneath the back of her scrub top as he leaned forward to place a kiss on her neck. "I wanted to see you." He slowly worked his way upward until he reached her mouth. "I really wanted to kiss you."_

"_Jackson," she sighed as she gently massaged the back of his head. "You need to know that I'm seeing someone."_

"_Well," he began as he tucked her hair behind her ears. "Do you mind seeing me right now?"_

_After a long pause, she responded by giving him a hungry kiss, she grinded her hips against his as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. "I definitely want to see you right now," she whispered._

"_Perfect," he growled before he practically ripped her shirt off._

* * *

_After stopping by his mother's office, Jackson rushed to the main lobby in the hope of catching April before she left the hospital. He thought that maybe they could grab a bite to eat or something. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted April with Matthew Taylor's arm wrapped around her waist._

_She had told him that she was seeing someone but he hadn't imagined that she had gotten back together with the tall, broad paramedic. Last summer she had told him that they had broken up because they weren't in the same place. Logic would dictate that if they were back together then it meant that they were now in the same place, which meant that she was ready to get married and start a family._

_He felt his stomach clench and he took a step backwards so that neither one of them had a chance of seeing him._

_If she was ready to marry that guy then why had she spent time this afternoon sprawled out on a conference room table for him?_

_That was really freakin' cold._

* * *

Jackson was pulled out of his thoughts when the lab tech called out to him. He took the results with a thank you and slowly began to walk down the hallway.

Recalling that memory still made him a little nauseous but not long after he had returned to Boston, his mother had informed him that April and Matthew had broken up yet again. He had found it hard to stay mad at her when the end of her relationship had so neatly coincided with their time together.

Jackson found Karev and walked up to him confidently. "Here are Jackie Randall's results."

'Thanks Avery," the resident responded without looking at him.

"What needs to be done next?" Jackson asked eagerly.

"Actually you can take a break. The first intern solo surgery is starting in twenty minutes in OR 3. You can watch from the gallery."

Even though Lexie had predicted it, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he hadn't been chosen. However, he was a positive individual so he knew that he would get his opportunity to prove himself eventually.

* * *

Jackson pulled his scrub top over his head and tossed it in his locker. He was relieved that he had survived his first shift as a surgical intern. Beside him, Lexie was sitting on the bench in the middle of the aisle with her head in her hands.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. "You okay?" He asked caringly.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm just so tired." She looked up at him and offered a small smile. "I'm sorry about earlier…what I said…"

"It's okay," he smiled. "You always get a little cranky when you're tired," he teased.

"Yeah, I do," she laughed. "And I know that you love her." She hopped to her feet and gently patted his chest. "Get the girl and be happy."

"Thanks Lex," he responded gratefully. Her support meant the world to him and she didn't even realize it.

"And I'm going to go take the most satisfying nap in history." She grabbed her purse out of her locker before bidding him goodbye.

He chuckled, "See ya later Lex."

After pulling on his street clothes, he turned to Charles and asked, "Wanna grab a drink? There's this great bar across the street."

At Jackson's suggestion, Charles smiled for the first time in hours. "That sounds awesome. A drink, then sleep."

Jackson laughed and lightly punched his fellow intern in the arm as they both left the locker room.

His first shift had been gruelling, like he had expected, and although he hadn't made it inside of an OR, it had still been amazing. He was excited for the next one.

* * *

April ran a hand through her long auburn hair as she sipped her glass of scotch. After the day that she had endured, she really needed a drink before going home. She finished her drink and smiled up at Joe. "I'll have another, please."

He poured her another glass and slid it towards her. "Here you go, Dr. Kepner."

"Thank you."

She had just taken her first sip from the second glass when George sat down on the stool beside hers. "Hitting the hard stuff?" He teased.

"Yup," she answered simply. "This is gonna be a rough year."

"Because you're going to spend the entire year trying to avoid Avery's bed?"

April turned to her friend with a hard, unimpressed glare. "Thank you George, you're being so understanding right now," she stated sarcastically.

The trauma surgeon laughed before ordering a drink for himself. He placed a hand on April's back and rubbed it soothingly. "In all seriousness, I think that you should date him. I've never heard you talk about a guy the way that you talk about him. He clearly makes you happy."

April sighed, "What about everything else?"

"So you tell Webber and you tell his mother, they're not obstacles that are impossible to overcome."

April opened her mouth to argue when she heard the doorbell over the front door ring. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed in defeat as she watched a group of interns walk into the bar, and of course Jackson Avery was one of them.

Without thinking, she hopped off of her stool and bolted towards the bathroom.

She splashed her face with a little water before she leaned on the sink and took a series of deep breaths.

The door opened behind her and she was somewhat unsurprised to glance in the mirror and see Jackson staring back at her.

"Hey April," he smiled brightly.

"You know I'm your boss now so you should probably call me Dr. Kepner," she responded sternly.

He approached her in three fluid steps and placed a hand on the small of her back. "Okay, Dr. Kepner," he whispered seductively, "I just moved into a new place, away from my mother, wanna come over? I could use some company after my first shift as an intern."

She turned around to face him and firmly pushed him backwards. "Jackson," she sighed in frustration. "We can't do _that_."

"Why not? It's not like we haven't before," he replied with a cheeky grin.

She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her forehead. He had always been incredibly stubborn. He was very determined; it was one of the characteristics that meant that he would be a great surgeon one day. "We shouldn't have then and we can't now."

"Why not?" He asked again.

He advanced towards her but she placed both of her hands on his chest to keep him from getting too close. "For the same reasons that we shouldn't have done it the first time, and more. I'm your boss now and I have influence over your career, and I…" She trailed off and looked at him in annoyance. His eyes couldn't seem to focus on anything; they were madly roving over her body. "Stop looking at me like that!"

He bit down on his bottom lip as he gazed down at her. "Like what?" He inquired quietly.

"Like you've seen me naked," she whined almost petulantly.

"But I have seen you naked," he pointed out.

She tossed her head back and groaned loudly in frustration. "No, you haven't, erase the memory! Our relationship needs to start over from scratch in order for us to work together."

He chuckled as he took another step forward and pressed her against the sink. "I've tried to do that and I can't, and you're being very unfair to me."

"I'm being unfair to you?" She asked incredulously as she raised an eyebrow.

"Yup," he nodded. "You ruined me for all other women and now you're blowing me off."

She couldn't help but laugh at him. "Ruined you for all other women? I don't remember you being so dramatic."

He chuckled but remained honest. "It's true though, I compare every girl I date to you." He tilted his head and did an exaggerated impersonation of himself. "She's not as funny as April. She's not as smart as April. Her skin's not as soft as April's. She doesn't kiss like April. I'm a wreck," he admitted. "I've been a wreck for five years. You messed with my head."

She glanced down at her feet before she looked back at him regretfully. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I…I never wanted to hurt you. That was the very last thing that I wanted to do. I'm sorry," she repeated.

"I know," he smiled softly. He brought both of his hands up to gently cup her face. "I live in that apartment building right across the street from the hospital, apartment 405. Come over anytime." He leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips against hers. "At the very least we'll both have a good night," he whispered enticingly. "I want you. I've always wanted you."

And with that he slipped out of the bathroom, leaving April feeling very confused and very conflicted.

* * *

Jackson was lying in his bed and he had almost fallen asleep when he heard a knock on his apartment door. He tiredly pulled himself out of bed and didn't bother to put on any clothes over his boxers.

He padded to his door and was pleasantly surprised to find that his visitor was April. She breezed past him without a greeting and immediately began to speak in an authoritative voice.

"If we're going to do this then there are going to be rules."

He raised an eyebrow before slipping his arms around her waist. "I have a few conditions of my own," he revealed.

"You do?" She questioned sceptically as he pushed her up against his closed door.

He nodded as he licked his lips. "I do. For example, we have to tell my mother."

April cringed but quickly countered with, "We have to tell Chief Webber. I'm an attending so everything we do has to be out in the open." She paused as she placed her hands on his naked sides and slowly slipped them up his back. "And there will be no special treatment. I only want you on my service if you're genuinely interested."

"Oh, I'm interested," he grinned as he pressed the full length of his body against hers.

"Interested in ortho," she corrected with a giggle.

He laughed and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I want my surgical education to be very well rounded, and I already know that you're a great teacher."

She dropped her purse to the floor and started to walk him backwards, hopefully in the direction of his bedroom. "I have taught you a thing or two," she flirted.

He hummed in agreement as he nibbled on the corner of her jaw and pushed her jacket off of her shoulders. "I wanna be with you for real, April. Not just friends. Not just sex. I want a relationship, and I'm in it for the long haul."

She looked up at him and a level of seriousness was etched into his face that she had never seen before. She knew that he liked her…that he was into her…but for the first time she realized that his feelings for her ran a lot deeper than just _like_. It had never been about just sex for him. She placed both of her hands on his face and kissed him sweetly.

"Are you in love with me Jackson Avery?" She asked in a whisper.

"I am," he smiled. "I am very much in love with you, April Kepner. I've been in love with you since I was fifteen."

She kissed him again, much more passionately this time. "Take me to your bed."

He effortlessly lifted her into his arms and wasted no time in doing exactly what he was told.

* * *

Jackson smiled as he propped himself up on his elbow and watched April sleep. She was lying on her back with the thin bed sheet pulled up to her chest and some of her hair was in her face. He knew that he should probably be asleep as well, but he couldn't seem to stop staring at her. "God, you are so beautiful," he whispered as he stroked her bare arm.

"Thank you," she murmured as she kept her eyes closed.

He dipped his head and kissed along her neck. "Hey, you're awake."

"I am. I'm just resting."

She stretched her limbs before she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer to her. Being with him was just as good as she remembered and she was going to shamefully take advantage of his energy.

He grinned at her and wasted no time in manoeuvring his body so that he was hovering above her. He leaned down and kissed her affectionately, and she lazily kissed him back. She hummed and entwined her legs around the back of his calves.

"Can we stay in bed all day?" He asked in between kisses.

"I can't believe you have the day off," she giggled. "You've only worked one shift so far! They're letting you interns off easy this year. They should be running you ragged."

"You can run me ragged here," he purposed mischievously. "I would definitely not complain about that."

She smirked, "I'm sure you wouldn't."

He chuckled huskily as he slowly moved down her body. He pushed the bed sheet aside and kissed along her flat stomach as a thought struck him. "Actually I have a better idea than staying in my bed all day."

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

"We could stay in your bed all day. I've never been to your apartment before."

"That is true," she acknowledged. "But it's not that special."

He softly kissed her mouth before he responded. "That's not the point. If we're going to do this then I want to see your apartment."

She knew that he had a point. She couldn't hide from him anymore. She didn't want to. "Okay." She kissed him before she pushed on his chest for him to let her up. "Get dressed and let's go."

* * *

April led Jackson by the hand up the stairs to her apartment. She could tell that he was excited and she found it adorable. She unlocked her front door and Jackson's insistent hands on her hips guided her over the threshold.

He kicked the door closed behind him and latched his lips onto her neck.

She giggled at his actions as she asked, "Don't you want the tour?"

"Of course I do," he chuckled.

She grabbed her hand and threaded her fingers through his. She tugged him through her apartment and announced each room. "Living room. Kitchen. Bathroom. Laundry room. And finally, the bedroom." She flicked her bedroom light on and watched Jackson's eyes focus on her queen sized bed. She stood on the tips of her toes and gently kissed his cheek. "How about I make something to eat? And you could take a shower or nap, or do whatever you want, and then we can stay in here for as long as you like."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her firmly on the lips. "That sounds amazing."

"What do you want to eat?" She asked against his mouth.

"Right now all I want is French toast."

She giggled, "I think I can do that." She removed his hands from around her waist and stepped back from him, but not before kissing him again. "Go take a shower, you smell like hospital," she teased.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked naughtily. "You didn't seem to mind an hour ago."

She playfully smacked his chest. "Go!" He started to walk towards the bathroom but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her. "Hold on a sec," she whispered with a small smile.

"What?" He asked in confusion as he looked down at her.

She knew that George was right, Jackson Avery was different from any other guy she had ever dated, and she wanted him to know that. He really did make her happy, regardless of his age. "You're really incredible, and I really _really _like you."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Why does it sound like you're breaking up with me?"

"I'm not!" She assured him quickly with a small laugh. She placed her hands on his chest and slowly moved them upwards until she cupped his face. "I'm trying to say that I'm not where you are yet but I'm getting there. I adore you Jackson Avery."

A wide smile slowly spread across his face. "Well, I've waited ten years already, I think that I can wait a little longer."

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! I'm interested to read your feedback! :)**


	2. Part 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first part! For those of you waiting on the next chapter of WYLB, I'm doing my best but I am experiencing a tad bit of writer's block. Last night's episode didn't help my mojo either. But I will do my best to have it out ASAP!**

**In the meantime, enjoy this story! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

* * *

April Kepner stood in the doorway of her bedroom and smiled uncontrollably at Jackson's sleeping form in her bed. He was sprawled out on his stomach, taking up the entirety of her bed, and he was snoring softly. He had taken a shower, they had eaten their late night breakfast, and then he had gone for a nap. However, his little nap had turned into hours and hours of sleep. She had slept herself and then had gotten up to shower and make coffee. She had even cleaned up and done some laundry all while he had stayed asleep. She knew that he was exhausted from his first shift at Seattle Grace but she had to wake him soon or otherwise his entire sleeping pattern would be thrown off.

But he looked so friggin' cute.

She couldn't believe that they had finally gotten here. It had taken them years but they were finally both in great places in their lives and in places where they could actually function together. They both lived in Seattle and worked at Seattle Grace Hospital. He was a grown man now and he was very much in love with her, and she had very strong feelings for him. She wanted to give a serious relationship with him a legitimate, whole-hearted try. He was worth it.

After all of these years, they were in her apartment and they were comfortable and happy. She hadn't been this happy in a long time.

She walked into her bedroom and sat down on the edge of her bed. She gently rubbed his back as she softly called his name. "Jackson. Jackson. It's time to wake up."

He grunted and groaned while rolling over onto his back and stretching his long limbs.

She smiled down at him as she ran a hand along his bare chest. "You need to get up now or otherwise you're going to ruin yourself for your next shift."

"Um, okay," he mumbled sleepily as he peered up at her. His eyes were still mesmerizing even when they were half-closed.

His eyes slipped closed again and she laughed. "Jackson, I'm serious."

She slipped her hand below his waist and ran it over the front of his boxers. He shot up into a sitting position and chuckled huskily. "Okay, I am definitely up now." He reached forward and tangled a hand in her thick auburn hair. He could certainly get used to waking up this way. "What time is it anyway?" He asked as he pulled her mouth down to his.

"Eleven AM," she murmured.

"And all I want is pizza," he stated with a laugh.

"All you wanted fifteen hours ago was pancakes, forty-eight hour shifts do that to you," she giggled. "Especially your first one. You'll get used to it."

He tugged her down into a lying position and rolled her beneath him. "Do you remember your first shift as an intern?"

"Vividly," she replied. "I was so intimidated that Meredith _Grey _was in my class and then I met Cristina and I got even more freaked out. I was a bit more neurotic back then."

"I don't remember that about you," he commented as he ran a hand along her side.

She slipped her hands up his back and smiled up at him. "What do you remember about me?" She asked him curiously.

Jackson chuckled to himself and avoided her gaze for a moment. "I was fifteen and I thought that you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, what do you think I remember?" She playfully pinched his skin and he tried to squirm away from her. "I was a teenager," he stated defensively. "My hormones were in overdrive."

"That's not a valid argument. Your hormones are still in overdrive," she teased.

He chuckled before dipping his head to hungrily capture her lips. He remembered one time that his mother had invited her over and she had worn these blue skinny jeans and a tight, black sweater. The image of her in that outfit had gotten him through many lonely nights.

* * *

_Jackson hopped off of the living room sofa when he heard the doorbell ring. He opened the front door and smiled at the unexpected visitor. It was April Kepner, his mother's star intern and the star of all of his fantasies nowadays._

"_Oh, um, hey," he greeted her clumsily._

"_Hi Jackson," she smiled. "And you can call me April, you don't have to say Dr. Kepner."_

_Jackson simply nodded. He was lucky that she was attributing his awkward stuttering to not knowing how to address her, and not because he wanted to drop to his knees and worship her like the goddess she was._

"_So," she spoke again, "your mother invited me over."_

"_Oh. Well she's still at the hospital but you can come in and wait for her." He was home all alone and he certainly wouldn't mind the company. He pulled the door open wider and motioned for her to come inside. "Can I take your jacket?" He asked politely._

_She removed her black, leather jacket and handed it to him with a perky smile. "Thank you."_

"_Um, we can wait in the living room," he told her as he hung up her jacket in their entryway closet._

_His eyes were glued to her as she walked into the living room ahead of him. The blue skinny jeans that she was wearing were now his new favourite clothing item. Girls at his high school did not have asses like that. She took a seat on the sofa and his eyes drifted to her upper body. If he thought that the jeans were dangerous than her tight, black, v-neck sweater was sinful. Her boobs were incredible. They were large, round, and perky…_

_He ran a hand over his face as he tried to make himself stop staring at her. She was so ridiculously hot. Even her hair made him jittery._

"_What are you studying?" She asked curiously as she leaned forward and looked at the books spread out on the coffee table._

_He swallowed before he spoke. His mouth was incredibly dry. "Biology. The reproductive system."_

_Oh what he wouldn't give to study the reproductive system with her._

* * *

April giggled as Jackson whispered his dirty, teenage fantasies in her ear. "Really? That sweater?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah," he chuckled against her skin. "It was _so _tight, and I was fifteen, anything and everything was a turn on."

She laughed and placed both of her hands on his face. She smiled at the glazed over look in his eyes. "Why are you fantasizing about me when I'm right here?" She asked jokingly.

"Sorry," he apologized a little shyly. "_Very _fond memories."

He brushed his hips against her and she giggled. "Yeah, I can tell." She wrapped her legs around his calves and rolled him over onto the other side of the bed. She straddled his waist and held his hands above his head. "And as much as I would like to discuss those, we actually need to talk about something serious," she told him after she finished thoughtfully chewing on her bottom lip.

Jackson chuckled in disbelief as he looked up at her. Her hair was dishevelled from where he had been running his hands through it and her lips were a little swollen. She was wearing an old, long-sleeved shirt that had Yale written across it in big blue letters and with every movement he could see her breasts move beneath the material. He could also feel her heat against him. Her shorts and his thin boxers were not thick enough barriers to hide his arousal. "This isn't fair," he pouted. "I'll tell you my darkest secrets in this position."

She smiled as she released his hands and sensually trailed her fingers over his chest and abdomen. She leaned down to give him a quick kiss before she sat up straight again. "I won't ask any probing questions, I promise."

"Okay, so what's going on?" He asked curiously.

"I have the day off but I'm going into the hospital anyway," she began slowly. She ran her index finger along his delicious pectoral muscles as she paused. "I'm going to tell Chief Webber about us and hope he doesn't fire me."

He gulped nervously. "Would he actually do that?" He didn't want her to lose her job, and he really didn't want her to have to choose between her job and him. He was afraid of the decision that she would make.

"I hope not," she sighed. "But it is frowned upon. I mean, I'm an attending and you're an intern. It's been done before," she trailed off. Meredith and Derek instantly came to mind. They had first started dating while Mer was an intern and now they were happily married. However, Cristina and Burke had not ended as happily. "But it doesn't always work out and they just wanna be sure that we're not taking advantage of you. Sex for surgeries is a big no no."

"Take advantage, please," he jested.

She couldn't help but chuckle at the huge grin on his face. "Well not everyone's as willing as you."

He placed his hands on her waist and slipped them down to her hips. He gently dug his fingers into her pelvic bone as she leaned down to kiss him. He could actually spend all day kissing her, she had the softest lips, and he had waited a long time for this. He had waited years to see her apartment and lie in her bed…make love to her in her home. Her apartment was simple and modest, but completely April, and it gave away a lot about her.

He had waited a long time for her to open up to him like this.

April hummed before she reluctantly pulled her mouth away from his. "Not done talking yet, baby."

"Baby?" He grinned. "I really like that."

"Focus," she giggled as she placed both of her hands on his face and tilted his head so that he had to look in her eyes.

"Right, sorry, I'm focused." He took a deep breath and gazed up at her with a smile.

"And there's also your mother," she continued. "So do you want to tell her or should I do it?"

His face fell and he answered her with the utmost seriousness. "I think that I should tell her." He had a feeling that his mother was going to explode and she was going to need ample time to cool down. He didn't want April to be present for that. "It'll be better coming from me." He was a little taken aback when she kissed him hungrily, with _a lot _of tongue. "What was that for?" He asked breathlessly.

"That was to thank you," she responded. "I know that it's cowardly but I don't want to face your mother." She buried her face in his neck. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"It's okay," he replied as he soothingly rubbed her back. "I love you," he whispered.

She smiled against his skin before she planted a kiss just below his ear. She raised her head and smiled happily. "You are the sweetest guy that I have ever met in my life." She kissed him softly before she asked him a question. "Why'd you pick me?"

He shrugged. "I didn't do it consciously; I just couldn't stop thinking about you. I thought about you all of the time. I just _knew_."

"You always know just what to say." She kissed him again before she reached for the band of his boxers. She sent him a mischievous smile before she started to push the material down over his hips.

* * *

Jackson smirked as he snuggled into April's pillows and watched her dress. He could get used to this too; he would never get tired of looking at her.

She pulled on a flowery summer dress and walked back towards the bed. She pulled her hair up as she asked, "Can you zip me up, please?"

Jackson sat up and placed a kiss in the small of her back before he pulled up the zipper and hasped the clasp. "There you go," he announced before he fell back onto her mattress. "You look beautiful by the way." The way that her wavy hair cascaded down over her bare shoulders was lovely.

"Thank you," she smiled as she sat down next to him on her bed. "Are you going to get dressed?"

"In a minute," he murmured. "Unless I can lure you back here," he said while invitingly lifting the bed sheets.

She chuckled and gently pecked his lips. "As tempting as that sounds, I really should get to the hospital. But I have an idea for later."

"Am I going to like this idea?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think so," she grinned.

"Then tell me," he laughed as he seized her waist.

She gave in when he started tickling her. "How about you come over tonight and we can have a date night? We can watch a movie and I can really cook you something, and maybe if you're lucky, you can spend the night."

He hummed before leaning forward and softly kissing her. "That actually sounds amazing."

She placed a hand on his face and tenderly stroked his cheek. "Great. So you can come by around seven." She kissed him swiftly before she stood up. "Time to get dressed."

Jackson chuckled as he reluctantly slipped out of bed and gathered his clothes. He redressed and used the bathroom before he followed April to her front door.

"Can you give me a ride home?"

April turned to him with a smile. "Of course."

She locked her door and they both headed to her car. She dropped him off at his apartment building on her way to the hospital and gave him a long and passionate kiss goodbye.

Jackson grinned cheekily after licking his lips. "How am I supposed to leave when you kiss me like that?"

April laughed before giving him another kiss, softer and much shorter this time. "Good luck with your mother."

Jackson laughed humorlessly as he got out of her car and walked into his building. He was going to need luck. His mother was not going to be happy about the age difference. But he wasn't going to let his mother make him feel guilty or bully him into a decision. He really loved April and he wasn't about to let her go. He had dated women that his mother had been absolutely crazy about but it hadn't taken his mind off of April.

Lexie was a perfect example.

* * *

_Jackson could feel his girlfriend standing behind him but he remained focused on the journal article in front of him. They had recently returned to his dorm room after an Avery family Sunday brunch at his grandfather's house and everyone had taken to Lexie incredibly well. But then again, he had known that they were all going to love her. His mother had loved Lexie for years, for a long time she had been secretly hoping that they would end up together._

_He really liked Lexie and he cared for her deeply. She was funny, beautiful, and intelligent, but…_

"_What are you reading?" Lexie asked curiously as she began to massage his shoulders._

"_Just this medical journal article," he murmured. "It's about xenografting in sports medicine."_

"_Ooh, sounds cool. Can I read it when you're done?"_

_He glanced up at her and smiled. "Yeah, sure."_

_She walked over to sit on his bed and when he was done reading the article he left his desk and moved across the room to join her. He handed her the journal and promptly grabbed one of his Biochem textbooks off of his bed._

_He raised his head in interest when Lexie scoffed. "What is it?" He asked curiously._

_She angrily tossed the magazine at him before she stood up. "The only reason you read this article in the first place is because April Kepner wrote it," she shot accusingly._

"_So?" He shrugged._

"_So?" His girlfriend repeated in disbelief. "When are you going to get over her? She's never going to feel the same way."_

"_Lexie," he sighed as he looked up at her. "I…I'm sorry." _

"_I'm sorry?" She repeated. "That's all you have to say."_

_He glanced down at his feet before he looked back up at her remorsefully. "I don't know what else to say but I am really sorry. Truly," he whispered. "She…uh…she has this pull over me. I can't explain it."_

_She folded her arms across her chest. "I get it," she said sadly. "I'm not happy about it but I get it."_

_He reached forward and pried one of her hands away from her body. "Friends?" He asked hopefully. _

* * *

Jackson brought himself out of the memory as he unlocked his door. He wanted to change his clothes and maybe grab a bowl of cereal before going to talk to his mother.

He moved across his apartment and entered his bedroom. His bed sheets were a mess from where he and April had made love earlier and the visual imagery it triggered made him smirk. His brow furrowed in confusion when a knock sounded on his door. He had no idea who it could be, very few people knew of his change in address. He hoped that it was April because she was unable to stay away.

He finished pulling the sweater over his head, and tossed his dirty clothes in the hamper, before he answered the door. His eyes widened in surprise as his mother's smiling face stared back at him. "Mom!" He exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?"

Catherine Avery touched her son's arm as she walked past him on her way into his new apartment. "I had to come and hear all about your first shift!"

He closed his door behind her while awkwardly replying, "Oh, I was just about to come visit you actually."

Catherine looked around his living room with a probing eye. "It's a little bare."

"I just moved in," Jackson groaned.

His mother headed towards the kitchen and he followed her. She set down the numerous Tupperware containers that she was carrying on his kitchen counter. "I brought you some food. I don't want you to starve."

Jackson grumbled to himself. He was twenty-five years old and he knew how to cook. He could fend for himself. He refused to let her continue to treat him like a child.

"So tell me all about your shift," she prompted eagerly.

He paused for a moment as he scratched his head. "It was great. It was really great. I can't wait until tomorrow."

Catherine smiled at him lovingly as she patted his arm. "That's great, baby. Are you still thinking about cardio?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Hopefully I'll get a chance to be on Dr. Yang's service soon." He gulped before he added, "I have something else to tell you though. It's big."

"What is it?" She questioned excitedly.

"I'm, uh, I'm seeing someone," he revealed slowly.

Her reaction was a combination of confusion and excitement. "You are? But you just moved back to Seattle! Is it anyone I know? Are you and Lexie giving it another shot?"

Jackson shook his head. "No, it's not Lexie. It's…April. April and I are together."

"April _Kepner_?" Catherine questioned in disbelief. She didn't know any other women by the name of April, but she needed to be sure.

Jackson nodded with a smile and waited for his mother to absorb the new information. He took a deep breath and prepared for an onslaught of hysteria. He was not disappointed.

"_April Kepner_! You have got be kidding me!" She exclaimed in frustration. She placed her hand on her forehead and thought for a moment before she began to ramble. "I'll call Harper. I'm sure that it won't be a problem to get you into the program at Mass Gen. That program is probably better suited to you anyway, and I'll take care of finding someone to sublet this apartment. Yes, that's what we'll do," she murmured to herself. "I'm not going to let this fling ruin your career."

"Mom, stop! What are you talking about?" Jackson yelled to snap his mother out of her trance. She turned to him with wide eyes and he quickly lowered his voice. "I'm sorry but you were getting a little ahead of yourself. I'm not going to Mass Gen," he stated firmly. "I'm staying here."

"Oh no, you're not," she argued quickly. "You need to focus on your career right now and you're not going to do that at Seattle Grace with _April Kepner_!"

Jackson groaned in frustration before he exclaimed, "Stop saying her name like some kind of disease!"

"I'm sorry," she apologized without a hint of sincerity. "But you have so much potential and I'm not going to let your career end before it's even begun because of sex."

"It's not just sex," he snapped angrily. "I'm in love with her."

Catherine's eyes widened in shock and she took a step backward as if she had been physically struck. For a long time she just stared at her only child. "What do you mean you're in love with her?" She asked very quietly.

Jackson simply shrugged. He found it very hard to explain his feelings to anyone other than April. "I'm in love with her," he repeated. "I've been in love with her for a very long time."

Catherine couldn't even manage a response so she turned on her heel and stormed out of his apartment.

Jackson huffed as he heard his apartment door slam shut. "Shit," he whispered to himself. "That went splendidly," he remarked sarcastically.

* * *

Instead of entering Seattle Grace through the main entrance, April walked through the emergency room entrance so that she could hopefully run into George. She really needed to talk to him. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted her friend leaning on the nurses' station.

She swiftly approached him and whispered quickly, "I need to talk to you." She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the nearest supply closet.

"So what's up?" George asked once he closed the door behind him. He would be more taken aback and confused if April hadn't done this very same thing numerous times before. Hushed conversations in supply closets were normal for them.

"Jackson and I are going to give it a try," she told him once she had taken a deep breath.

George smiled happily. "That's great."

"So I'm here to tell Chief Webber about it," she rushed out before George could say anything else. "And I'm kinda terrified."

The trauma surgeon stepped closer to the red-head and grabbed her by the shoulders. "It's going to be fine, April. We have a lot of couples in this hospital." He kissed her sweetly on the forehead before he added, "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

"Thanks George," April replied gratefully as she tightly wrapped her arms around him.

"So how was the sex?" He asked teasingly once they had ended their hug.

April blushed and gently smacked his arm. "It was incredible, as always."

George laughed, "Still make your toes curl?"

"Knock it off," she reprimanded before she opened the supply closet door and slipped into the hallway.

She waved goodbye to George before she headed towards the Chief of Surgery's office. She couldn't believe that she was finally going public with her relationship with Jackson. She had tried so hard to keep it a secret for so long. The number of people that knew about them was very few and that was a miracle in itself. They had once been caught in the hospital; luckily it had just been Callie.

They had had a close call one other time…his mother had almost caught them in bed together once. It had been one of the most terrifying and on edge experiences of April's life but she had managed to be the calm one.

* * *

_April giggled softly as Jackson kissed down her neck. They were in the lab but they still couldn't seem to keep their hands off of each other. April couldn't help but remember George's comments about the enthusiasm and stamina of a twenty year old, and he was definitely right. Jackson couldn't get enough of her. She barely slept at night anymore thanks to him._

_After pulling her scrub top over her head, he pushed her up against the wall. "God April," he gasped, "you're amazing."_

"_You're making me feel pretty amazing right now." She chuckled before moaning due to the feel of his insistent but very talented hands. She gripped his bare back and nipped at his earlobe as he untied the strings of her scrub pants. He pushed the material down her legs before quickly dropping to his knees. "Jackson," she laughed. "Get back up here."_

_He glanced up at her with a boyish grin. "No way," he muttered before he placed a kiss on her navel. "Ladies first, right? Show me how you like it."_

_April's eyes widened at his boldness. He certainly knew what to say to set her on fire. Also, she could see the excitement in his eyes. God love the enthusiasm of young men._

_She opened her mouth to speak but she was interrupted by a noise outside. Someone was trying to open the door to the lab but the door was locked from the inside._

"_What the hell?" Callie called from out in the hallway._

_April covered Jackson's mouth with her hand before she yelled back. "Sorry Callie! It must have locked behind me! One second!"_

_Jackson hopped to his feet and pulled his shirt back on as she redressed as well. She quickly tied her pants again before she opened the lab door. "Hey Callie," she smiled._

"_Hey, I was just coming to check on the progress. Anything?"_

_Jackson shook his head as a fierce blush spread across his cheeks. "Nope, nothing yet," he answered quietly._

_April ran a hand through her hair and shot Callie a sideways glance. Jackson wasn't exactly a great actor. Thankfully, she knew that Callie wouldn't berate her or be angry with her, and most importantly, she wouldn't tell anyone. She could trust Callie not to blab._

_Callie sent her a look that said, 'We'll talk later,' before she bid goodbye and left the room._

_April approached Jackson and kissed him softly on the cheek. "We can't do this in the hospital anymore," she told him smartly._

"_Yeah," he nodded in agreement. "My car is definitely a better option." _

* * *

"_We shouldn't be doing this here," April muttered through kisses as Jackson pushed her back towards his childhood bed._

_Jackson simply grinned back at her as his hands slipped down to cup her butt. "It's fine," he assured her. "My mother is in Chicago and her flight doesn't get in until late tonight." He gently laid her down on his bed and climbed on top of her. "You're not going to deny me this fantasy are you?"_

_She laughed as she ran her fingers through his sort, thick curls. "What fantasy?"_

_He kissed down her neck before he raised his head to look down at her. "You know that fantasy that every guy has of having this incredibly sexy woman in the bedroom he grew up in."_

"_That turns you on?" She asked teasingly. "I can't imagine why," she commented sarcastically as she looked around at the posters on his walls and the high school trophies on his shelves. She understood the appeal; boys weren't very hard to understand when it came to sex. She tugged his sweater over his head before she started to unbuckle his belt. "Is there anything I can do to make this better for you?" She asked with a giggle._

_He chuckled huskily as he unbuttoned her blouse and kissed the exposed flesh. "No, you're perfect."_

_The sincerity in his voice and in his eyes as he glanced up at her, sent shivers down her spine. "Okay, sweet talker," she replied light-heartedly before she kissed him. "You are definitely getting rewarded for your behaviour."_

_Jackson grinned gleefully in anticipation as she pushed him onto his back on the other side of the bed. She kissed down his torso as he tangled his hands in her hair. She was so into pleasuring him that she almost didn't hear a door slam downstairs._

"_What was that?" She asked in a panic as she sat up._

"_Nothing," Jackson panted. "It was nothing."_

_April couldn't help but laugh at him. The expression on his face was priceless and she figured that he probably wouldn't be able to hear an explosion in his current state. However, his level of alarm quickly matched hers when they heard a voice call out._

"_Baby, I'm home!"_

"_Shit!" Jackson exclaimed frantically. He and April both jumped off of the bed and furiously redressed. _

_He uttered a string of curses and only calmed down when she placed both of her hands on his face and forced him to look at her. She was just as terrified as he was but one of them needed to be the voice of reason. She was just lucky that her car was parked a block away instead of in his driveway. "Calm down," she whispered. "What are we gonna do?"_

"_Um, uh, I dunno," he stumbled over his words. He scratched his head before he looked at her pleading. "What should I do?"_

"_Go downstairs and talk to her, be normal," she emphasized. "And take her somewhere for dinner so that I can sneak out."_

"_Jackson, honey, are you home?"_

_April pushed him towards his bedroom door as Catherine's voice got closer. He took a deep breath and gently kissed her before he slipped out the door._

_April pressed her back against the wall and sighed in relief. She tried to listen to the conversation taking place in the hallway outside but her heart was beating too loudly. Catherine Avery had almost just caught her going down on her son._

_They really needed to start being more careful._

* * *

April left Chief Webber's office with a bright smile. That conversation had gone infinitely better than she had imagined. The general surgeon had warned her about favoritism and propriety, but he hadn't appeared disappointed or upset. She supposed he had gotten used to it over the years; Seattle Grace had seen its share of sexual scandal.

As she walked across the catwalk, she felt as if a weight had been lifted off of shoulders. Telling Chief Webber made her relationship with Jackson that much more real, and instead of feeling scared, she felt excited and happy. She couldn't wait to see him.

She stepped into the elevator and met Lexie Grey's gaze. "Hello Dr. Grey," she greeted pleasantly. "Shouldn't you be enjoying your day off?"

"I'm here to meet my sister for lunch," the brunette answered.

April nodded with a smile but didn't offer a verbal response.

The elevator was silent until the young intern spoke again. "Don't hurt him."

April turned to her in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Jackson," Lexie explained nervously. "He really loves you so please don't hurt him. I don't know if he'd be able to recover."

The ortho attending paused as she absorbed the seriousness of her elevator companion's words. She didn't think she'd be able to bring herself to hurt him, again. "I don't plan on hurting him," she finally whispered. "Don't worry."

Lexie smiled in relief. "Good, because he's my best friend so even though you're my attending, I'd be obligated to hurt you."

April laughed and smiled fondly at Meredith's little sister. She had a feeling that she was going to really like Lexie Grey. "What specialty are you interested in Dr. Grey?" She asked curiously.

"Plastics," she stated confidently. It had always been a dream of hers to work in the burn unit. She would pay her dues until she got the opportunity to do a plastics rotation.

April grinned to herself as mischievous, matchmaking thoughts raced through her head. "Well then I'll have to introduce you to Mark Sloan."

"Would you?" Lexie inquired excitedly. "I know that you and Dr. Torres work with him a lot and it would just be amazing if you could—"

April interrupted her rambling with a melodic laugh. "Don't worry about it, I'll introduce you." The elevator slowly came to a halt and the metal doors slid open. The two women stepped out and the red-head smiled as she glanced at Lexie over her shoulder. "Have a nice day, Lexie."

"You too, Dr. Kepner!" Lexie called back happily.

April walked through the lobby with an even bigger spring in her step. Everything seemed to be going right for her today.

"Dr. Kepner!"

She was just a few feet away from the front doors when she heard her name called in a very unhappy voice. She froze and slowly spun around. She gulped fearfully as Catherine Avery marched towards her. The older woman looked like she was on a mission and that meant that she had already been talking to Jackson. She _knew_. She never called her Dr. Kepner, it was always April, or honey, or sweetheart, or some other term of endearment. It was glaringly obvious that Catherine Avery was currently pissed.

The red-head opened her mouth, to say what she wasn't sure, but Catherine silenced her by raising her hand.

"Just what have you done to my son?" She demanded. "He's saying that he's in love with you."

"I…uh…I-I don't…" April wasn't sure how she was supposed to answer that question. Catherine's menacing glare wasn't exactly helping her form coherent thoughts either. "I really care about him," she finally articulated. "He's an incredible guy and he's very special to me. I'm serious about him."

"April," the urologist began softly. "I think of you as the daughter I never had, I always have. You're a wonderful, gifted surgeon and a beautiful girl, inside and out."

April smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Dr. Avery."

"But," she stated sharply. "You are not right for my son, and I would like you to stay away from him. He needs to focus on his career right now."

April's smile quickly fell and she could feel tears prick the back of her eyes. She hadn't expected Catherine to approve, but she hadn't expected such strong disapproval either. She hadn't expected demands and near ultimatums. "Okay," she whispered tearfully. "I understand. I get it."

She wiped her eyes before tears could fall and fled the hospital without looking back.

She had tried to stay away from Jackson before and it hadn't worked. She had tried other relationships. She had tried settling down with Matthew Taylor. But nobody made her feel the way that Jackson did. She was physically incapable of staying away from him. It was a futile effort. He had a magnetic pull over her.

Over a year after they had ended their little affair, she had attended a conference in Boston. It had just so happened that Harvard and Yale were playing that weekend and it had been impossible for her to stay away.

* * *

_April waited in the players' tunnel with an excited grin on her face. Yale had trumped Harvard 42-27, but that wasn't the only reason why she was happy. She wanted to see Jackson and she just hoped that he felt the same way about seeing her after such a long time…especially after how they had left things._

_After a few minutes, Jackson emerged from the locker room with a few of his teammates. When his eyes first landed on her he did a double take, but a smile slowly spread across his face. His teammates looked at him questioningly and he simply said, "I'll see you guys later."_

_He stepped up to her in awe and she coyly bit down on her bottom lip. "Hey."_

"_Hello to you too," he responded with a chuckle. "What are you doing here?"_

_She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was asking out of curiosity, not because her presence was upsetting to him. "I'm here for a conference and I just couldn't pass up the biggest football game of the season!"_

"_I hope that's not the only reason," he whispered suggestively as he leaned down so that they were eye level._

"_No, of course not," she breathed truthfully. "What are you doing right now?"_

"_Whatever you want," he answered huskily._

_April reached forward and fingered the zipper on his jacket. She liked that he wasn't acting on pretense. "Let's go back to your dorm room and go from there."_

* * *

_April stepped into his dorm room and smiled as she looked around. His room was exactly like the rooms of the guys that had lived down the hall from her at Yale. There were books and notes everywhere, and sports posters covered the walls. It was nice to know that some things never changed. At least Jackson was a little bit neater, there weren't dirty clothes everywhere, and all of the Harvard decorations and memorabilia didn't bother her nearly as much since they had lost this afternoon's football game._

_She walked over to his desk and ran her hand along the spines of some of his textbooks. "How's med school so far?"_

"_Good," he answered. "I actually really like it," he chuckled as an afterthought. "It's tough but fun."_

"_Do you find it hard to balance med school with football?" She asked curiously as she spun around to face him. She had felt his eyes on her the entire time her back had been turned._

_He responded honestly, "A little but it's my last year of eligibility so I really wanna play."_

"_Well you played great today," she grinned._

_He laughed as he stepped towards her. "You're just saying that because Yale won today."_

_She smiled as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her. "I am a little giddy but you really did play great. It was very sexy."_

"_Really?" He questioned huskily as his eyes flickered from hers to her mouth._

"_Yeah," she whispered before she pulled him down for a kiss. She gripped the front of his shirt with both hands and pressed her body against his. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and groaned when his hands slipped down her waist to cup her behind. "My hotel is far. Can I stay here tonight?"_

"_Yes," he replied eagerly. "Yes, you can." He unzipped her sweater as he said, "But you have to take off this stupid blue sweater, Yalie."_

_She giggled and teasingly retorted, "Well then you're really going to want to take off my underwear."_

_He growled and his grip on her tightened. "Show me."_

_She pushed him back towards his bed and gave him a strong shove so that he fell back onto his mattress. He pulled his shirt off before he made himself comfortable by propping himself up on his elbows. She stood at the end of his small, four poster bed and slowly stripped out of her clothes. _

_Jackson's eyes widened once she got down to just her bright blue bra and matching panties. "Yale colors," she smirked slyly._

_He licked his lips before he responded breathily. "Yeah, that looks awful on you. You're gonna have to take it off."_

_She smiled wildly as she slowly crawled up the bed until her face was hovering above his. She could feel his hands running over her body and she eventually rewarded him with a kiss. He promptly wrapped his arms around her waist and rolled her beneath him._

"_You are so sexy," he whispered in awe before he dipped his head to kiss down her neck. "And this is way better than any fantasy I've ever had. I never thought you'd be in my dorm room."_

_She ran her hands down his torso before they settled on his sculpted pecs. "But you're glad I came to visit, right?" She was surprised to find that she was a little nervous to hear his response._

"_Ecstatic," he whispered softly._

* * *

_April awoke in the warm cocoon of Jackson's strong arms. At first she was slightly confused, she hadn't woken up in a dorm room in a very long time, but yesterday's events quickly returned to her. She tried to slip out of bed but Jackson's hold on her tightened. She turned her head and kissed his lips softly. "Let me up," she murmured._

"_No," he mumbled petulantly while his eyes remained closed. He pulled her back against his chest and buried his face in her hair. "Just stay here for a while."_

"_I gotta catch a flight," she reasoned. A large part of her wanted to stay with him but she knew that she couldn't. She kissed him again as she gently stroked his face. "I gotta go."_

_Jackson opened his eyes and raised his head so that he could look at the alarm clock on his bedside table. "What time is your flight?"_

"_Twelve thirty."_

_He grinned down at her as he said, "You still have four and a half hours." He kissed her soundly on the mouth as his hand slid down to her naked hip. "Stay with me for a little while longer. Please."_

_She playfully rolled her eyes before she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why is it that I can never say no to you?"_

* * *

The doorbell ringing brought April out of her memory. She had been moving around her apartment like a zombie since she had returned from the hospital. She hadn't known what to do with herself so she had just decided to watch mindless television. She got up off of her sofa and slowly walked to the door. She took a deep breath to compose herself and she made sure that nobody could tell that she had been crying before she opened the door.

She couldn't stop herself from smiling at the image of Jackson standing on her doorstep. "Hi," she greeted him in a rather sad voice. She was trying to cheer herself up but it certainly wasn't working.

"I came over early because I heard…Lexie texted me. She overheard," he explained awkwardly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm happy to see you." She pulled him into her apartment and wrapped her arms around his waist. She laid her head against his chest and sighed softly. Now she felt better.

Jackson restrained himself and pushed back a wave of anger as he wrapped one arm around April's waist while the other ran soothingly through her hair. He couldn't believe what his mother had done. When Lexie had texted him it had taken all of his energy not to throw his cell phone across his living room in a fit of rage. "I'm sorry," he apologized in a gentle voice. "She had no right."

April pulled away from him but grabbed his hand. She led him into her living room and they sat next to each other on the couch. "But she had her points," she admitted reluctantly. "I'm not good for you."

"April, don't—"

"Well it's true," she cut him off. "At this stage in your life, I'm completely wrong for you. I know that when we first got together," she began hesitantly, "that the age difference was a turn on for you, it had to be, but trust me, that is not going to be sexy forever. In five years I'll be forty. When you're forty, I'll be fifty!"

Jackson reached out and gently rubbed her knee. "April, your age has never mattered to me. I swear." He leaned forward and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. "And just for the record, I'm pretty sure that I will always find you sexy."

April ducked her head to hide a grin. "So the age difference really doesn't bother you?"

"Not in the slightest," he replied decisively.

"What if I…?" She paused and took a deep breath. She looked down into her lap and picked at an invisible thread in her jeans. "What if I wake up a few mornings from now and talk about marriage and a baby? Because I'm at that point in my life where I think about those kinds of things."

Jackson shifted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her towards him and pressed his forehead against hers. "I would love that," he whispered honestly as he looked into her eyes. He had only ever wanted two things in his life: to become a surgeon and to be with April. And now he could have both. He started to push her onto her back as he grinned. "Do you want a baby? Cuz I can give you a baby right now," he stated jokingly.

She laughed boisterously as he plucked at the waistband of her jeans. She lay back on her sofa and hitched her legs around his hips. She stared at him tenderly as she traced his jawline and cheekbones with her index finger. "I think I could spend the rest of my life with you," she confessed nervously.

He could have sworn that his heart stopped for a brief moment. "Really?" He asked with a smile.

"Yeah," she whispered with a nod. "But," she sighed, "your mother hates me now."

"My mother actually loves you," he corrected. "She just needs a little time to get used to the idea of me and you." He was confident that once his mother saw how happy she made him and how much they cared about each other, she would be thrilled that he and April were in a relationship. His mother raved about April all of the time. She would eventually be thrilled to have her as a potential daughter-in-law. "Let's just give her some time."

She nodded in agreement before she brought his face closer to hers for a kiss.

They made out on the couch until Jackson pulled away with a laugh. "So what about this date you promised me?"

"Right," April chuckled as she pushed her hair out of her face. "This is our first date, I'm supposed to be playing hard to get."

Jackson laughed as he sat up and April hopped to her feet. "This is not our first date," he argued. He got to his feet as well and followed her into the kitchen. "We've been on plenty of dates."

"Our rendezvouses in the back of your car and at the Archfield Hotel do not count," she countered.

"I'm not talking about that." He walked up to her and placed his hands on her hips. "I'm talking about when I made dinner for you. The first time we kissed," he elaborated.

April smiled fondly as she rested her hands on his chest. "Yes, I suppose that counts as our first date. So this is our second date." She softly kissed his lips before she asked, "What would you like me to cook?"

"Doesn't matter," he shrugged. "You decide and I'm going to run out and buy some wine, and maybe a dessert. I know that you love that chocolate cheesecake from that bakery a few blocks away from the hospital."

She tilted her head and stared at him with a happy smile. He was so kind, and caring, and thoughtful, and so many other things. Why had it taken her so long to realize that he was perfect for her?

"Jackson Avery, you are the most wonderful man."

"I'm not like this all the time," he jested. "I just love you."

Those words sent a wave of desire and longing through her. She placed both of her hands on his face and kissed him hungrily. She wrapped both of her arms tightly around his shoulders and it didn't take him very long to hoist her into his arms. She locked her legs around his waist as he carried her across the kitchen. She giggled, but continued to kiss him, as he set her down on her kitchen table.

Jackson groaned when the sound of her doorbell ringing interrupted them. "Are you expecting any visitors?"

"Nope," she answered as she pulled his sweater over his head.

They did their best to ignore their unwanted guest but April's doorbell chimed repeatedly. Jackson raised his head and glared in the direction of the front door before he took a step backwards. April ran a hand through her hair and re-buttoned her shirt before she slid off of the table.

"I guess I should get that," she sighed. She gently patted Jackson's chest as she walked past him.

Jackson grabbed his sweater and pulled it over his head before he followed her to the door. He stepped behind her as she pulled the door open and he was shocked to see his mother.

"Dr. Avery," April whispered.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Jackson asked in a much firmer voice as he protectively placed his hands on April's shoulders.

"I came here to apologize to April," Catherine explained.

"You don't have to, really," the red-head replied.

Jackson rolled his eyes and growled lowly, "Yes, she does."

Catherine nodded in agreement. "He's right. I should have never confronted you like that at work. It was very unprofessional. I'm sorry."

April smiled and thanked her but Jackson's mood hadn't changed in the slightest. He was still mad at her. His mother was really the last person he wanted to see right now. "Is that it? Are you done?" He asked impatiently.

His mother looked at him disapprovingly. "Jackson, sweetheart…"

April turned to him and looked up at him with a silent plea. She was impossible to deny. He would do anything for her. "Would you like to come in?" He requested rather begrudgingly.

"No," Catherine smiled, "but I would like to invite the both of you over for dinner tomorrow night."

"That sounds lovely," April replied quickly.

Both women turned to Jackson and he spoke after a long moment. "We'll be there."

"Perfect and I will see you both at the hospital tomorrow. Have a good evening."

Catherine walked back towards her car and April let out a small laugh of disbelief as she closed her door. She leaned against the wooden frame and stared at her new boyfriend. "So, that just happened."

"Yeah," Jackson laughed. "It did."

April laughed again before she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her mouth against his. "This is going to be even easier than I thought," she stated after a long kiss.

"Well I'm pretty easy to love," he joked with an infectious grin.

"Yeah, you are," April giggled as she playfully pushed him. "And I believe that you were about to go and buy wine and dessert."

"I was, but then we got distracted," he stated with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.

"We have plenty of time for that." She kissed him softly before she whispered, "I promise." She kissed him again before adding, "And even better, by the time you get back, I'll have dinner started."

He smiled as he placed his hand on her doorknob. "Just don't make me wait ten years, okay?" He asked meaningfully. He was still smiling but his voice had taken on a much more serious tone.

"I won't," she breathed with a soft smile.

In fact, she had a very strong feeling that she was going to tell him exactly what he wanted to hear _very_ soon. She may not have harboured feelings for him for ten years but that didn't matter now. She loved him too.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! :)**

**And there will be no more additional chapters. lol.**


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